2015 is sadly shaping up to be a poor year for pedestrian safety in Indianapolis. Today, there has already been a crash on the south side with a person listed in critical condition. My fear is that it may end up being the worst year on record for deaths and injuries, as it seems to be an almost daily occurrence. It happens all over town, but it always seems to be the worst in places where cars are moving the fastest and pedestrians are a rarer sight.
Last month, a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run accident at the intersection of Crestview and Kessler Boulevard. This portion of Kessler has no...

Indy’s Plan2020 has posted a link to an updated version of the proposed Red Line between Westfield and Greenwood. That’s right, Westfield, who’s mayor has been a consistent supporter of transit, is included in the newest configuration. Here’s the latest map (shown in 20 parts)
There’s more information out there, including this pdf which is meant to be seen in poster form. The boards are currently on display in the Old City Hall, along with 8 other locations around town. I particularly like the second board, which lays out the economic data that supports the need...

After a bit of a lull, this looks to be a big year in multi-use paths around the city. While Indianapolis is still struggling with the basics of street design, we seem to be more successful in building these off-street paths. There are at least five that are either under construction or planned for 2015.
Eagle Creek Greenway:
Construction is well underway on the Eagle Creek Greenway in Pike Township. We had a guest post on this trail a few months ago, and the writer of that post sent us some updated photos from last weekend:
Pennsy Trail:
The Pennsy Trail construction plans to connect the Pleasant...

Three years ago this summer, the City-County Council passed a Complete Streets ordinance in a unanimous vote, joining hundreds of cities nationwide that chose to commit to accessibility for all modes and abilities in their transportation planning. Shortly afterwards, Smart Growth America’s National Complete Streets Coalition recognized Indianapolis’ ordinance as the top Complete Streets ordinance out of nearly 130 policies adopted nationwide that year. The city has committed to this policy, but how has it been playing out in the implementation stage? Are the improvements on the ground living up...

Graffiti can be a tricky subject for me. I love freedom of expression and art, but I don’t love defacing public or private property. Most graffiti in Indianapolis is simply thoughtless tagging, similar to how a dog marks his territory while on a walk. Of course, the paint stays much longer.
Sometimes, however, graffiti can make you think or laugh. Banksy is the king of this, but there are others around. This tag in Indy isn’t on Banksy’s level, but at least it is on a place that appears to be mostly harmless: A temporary jersey barrier lining Market Street in between the Cummins...